RAF grounds Battle of Britain aircraft team ahead of D-Day celebrations

Sqn Ldr Mark Long who died when his Spitfire crashed soon after take-off from RAF Coningsby

Credit: Charlotte Graham

The RAF has grounded the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight after a pilot was killed in a Spitfire crash,putting the nation’s D-Day commemoration events at risk.

The 10-strong flight was due to fly over the beaches of Normandy as part of the 80th anniversary of D-Day,which is being marked by all major nations that fought in the Second World War.

Royal Air Force commanders grounded the flight of Second World War-vintage aeroplanes on Monday after its next commanding officer died in a crash just outside its home base at RAF Coningsby.

Mark Long,the squadron leader,was killed after his Spitfire,a D-Day veteran,crashed immediately after take-off from the Lincolnshire base on Saturday.

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Read moreThe officer,an experienced air display pilot,was due to take over command of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) next year.The Defence Accident Investigation Branch is now examining the wreckage of Sqn Ldr Long’s Mark IX Spitfire,military serial number MK356,to find out why it crashed.Meanwhile,the BBMF’s remaining aircraft – one of the two flyable Lancaster bombers in the world,five Spitfires,two Hurricanes and a Douglas Dakota transport aeroplane have all been grounded.Three of the Spitfires,both of the Hurricanes and the four-engined Lancaster are powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines,similar to the unit fitted to the crashed Spitfire.While each Merlin-powered aircraft is fitted with different marks of engine,each of the supercharged V12 power units is broadly similar to the other.A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “Following the tragic accident at RAF Coningsby,and while the formal investigation is ongoing,the RAF has instigated a temporary pause in flying for the BBMF.”The spokesman added that no timescales would be given for the flight’s return to the air.The grounding comes just a week before BBMF aircraft were scheduled to fly over the Normandy beaches where British and Allied servicemen landed 80 years ago on D-Day.The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight which has been grounded ahead of D-DayCredit: Bav MediaThe flight had also been due to take part in a national commemorative event in Portsmouth on June 5 to mark 80 years since D-Day.The BBMF’s crashed Spitfire,MK356,flew over the same beaches during the invasion and even shot down a German Messerschmitt on June 7 1944,the day after D-Day.An RAF spokesman confirmed to The Telegraph that MK356 was due to fly over Normandy as part of the commemorations,reprising its role in the largest invasion the world has ever seen.Last summer,the BBMF was grounded after a problem with the supercharger in its Mark II Spitfire.Flying resumed after seven days following safety inspections,although in that case,the Spitfire was able to land back at RAF Coningsby,the flight’s home base.The King is expected to take part in the D-Day commemorations,with his mother,the late Queen,having served in the Army during the war.The Prince and Princess of Wales led tributes to Sqn Ldr Long on Saturday,saying in a social media post that they were “incredibly sad” to learn of his death.Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer also paid tribute to the aviator,a qualified Typhoon fighter jet pilot.